90-Second Read: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Hantavirus, Ebola crises

While the rare Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that has gripped global attention is not officially on the agenda, it is expected to feature prominently in the discussions, as is the fresh Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And the Hantavirus crisis provided "a clear illustration of why the world needs an effective, trusted, impartial, reliably-funded WHO," she added. When WHO's executive board met in January, Israel submitted a resolution to approve Argentina's withdrawal, something countries are expected to discuss during the assembly, but not a word was said about the US leaving.

The situation is "still fragile, but they've been successful in mobilizing most of the funds" required for the next two years, Surie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Center at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told AFP. Continued disagreement between wealthy and developing nations has for instance blocked progress on the key missing piece of the WHO's landmark 2025 pandemic treaty, with negotiations now expected to be extended for another year. The United States reserved the right to withdraw when it joined the WHO in 1948, on condition of giving one year's notice and meeting its financial obligations in full for that fiscal year.

Election campaign The assembly will take place as the process toward next year's election of a new WHO chief heats up. Much of this week's discussions will center on whether to launch a formal reform process for the so-called "global health architecture", a mishmash of organizations that do not always work together and often overlap. It also remains unclear what, if anything, would be decided on the US and Argentinian announced withdrawals.